He said: “When a robber sees a policeman he’s terrified. So for a robber, a policeman is a terrorist. So in this context, every Muslim should be a terrorist to the robber.”

He is also reported to have said western women make themselves “more susceptible to rape” by wearing revealing clothing.

Naik is quoted as saying: “Western society has actually degraded [women] to the status of concubines, mistresses and social butterflies, who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers.”

In 2013 Naik was named Islamic Personality of the Year by the Dubai International Holy Quran Award, Gulf News writes.